Scoop adjustment for carry type scrapers



June 29, 1954 A. R. WIRKKALAr scoorD ADJUSTMENT FOR CARRY TYPE scRAPERs 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 2, 1951 nffllllflnlllllwh IN VEN TOR. .dAfeTQ/A//RKK/l/.A

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A. R. WIRKKALA M I* www4 SCOOP ADJUSTMENT FOR CARRYI TYPE SCRAPERS June 29, 1954 Filed March 2, 1951 ITTUENEY June 29, 1954 A, R, W|RKKA| A 2,682,120

SCOOP ADJUSTMENT FOR CARRY TYPE SCRAPERS Filed March 2, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. A71. 5E/z T /Q M//lQ/(KHLA HTTme/ws YJ Patented June 29, 1954 @FP-ICE SCOGP' ADJUSTMENT FOR CARRY TYPE' SCRAPERS Albert R'.Wirkkala, Naselle, Wash.

Application -March2, 1951,' Serial No. 213,579

This inventionzrelates toiearth handling equipment, andcmore"particularly-to .vehiclesof that character commonly=referredto as carry scrapersf that is, to thosefformsof -vehicles adapted tofscrape up their :loa-ds `of iearthfrom l the ground into a scoop orbowl, and to transport ithemyto points. of disposal and vthere -to mechanically `ej ect them;

It is the .principal vobject yof this: invention to provide a` vehicle K comprising a; scoop, that` is .designed to, be supported4 vfrom and .pushed-` ahead of va tractor.,y andqwhich may be :controlled in.. its working elevationrbyrmeanscorrespondingto the lift fmechanismoi. the ordinary .bulldozer :blade More specifically stated; the. present' invention resides in theprovision:ofatractore'scraper `conibination'wherein :the scraper and:..ear.th"carrier is z-rof iscoopizformxlandfisgpushedfaby fthe. tractor, andhas. a'steerable supporting .means .forwardly thereof, and wherein.` the scraper.. bowlr or scoop is .equipped with.annovelformhof loadcejector mechanism.

It. issa `further fobject of Tiny inventionytovproa vide atractor-scraper combination embodying theparts as aboverecit'ed, and having individual, hydraulic control devices for the fsteering,--ele'vat' ing,.lad1 ejecting means; andftheload retaining apron, all accessibletofthe operator from the drivers seat ofthe Atracto-r:

Itis also anl objectfof theginvention `to provide a novel-'form of "steerablefront `end support' for' a-scraper or scoopgthat is disposed forwardlyof the propelling tractor.v

Yetanother objectof` the invention is: to provide `a novel formI of` load ejector nieclfianism that is incorporated with `the push beams which carry the -scraper 1or scoop;

Still further objects lofhthelinvention'reside in the vdetails of construction-and combination of parts, and 'inV- their mode of operation, as will hereinafter be fully described.

Iny accomplishing theser and .other objects of the invention,-I haveprovidedthe improved 'details ofv construction the. preferred forms of which` are illustratedin the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a side View of a tractor-scraper combinationembodying Y, the improvements of the.

present invention therein.

Fig. 2 is a sectional View, taken in a vertcal plane, longtudinallyof one of the push beams, and showing a .part of the loadcarrying. scoopv and the load ejector plate in its advanced, orV load ejecting position..

Fig. 3 is a plan or topvievv of,'tl'1emachineas` seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 Vis a diagramofthe hydraulic control sys-v temfor the various movable parts.

Fig. 5is a vertical` cross-section,.tal en on the line .5;-5 in Fig.` l.

Fig 6 is av vertical cross-section` taken on line ifi-6 in Fig. 1.`

Referringfmore in-detail to the drawings-- The presentcombination comprises av tractorl for furnishing lthe :motive power for .the machine,- and a scoop that is supported, in part, from-the tractor and isl adaptedfto bepushedsthereby to scrape uploads of earth and.to transport themv to points of disposal.

In its` preferred embodiment; theapparatus of the inventioncomprisesa tractor of crawler track type, as shown, and designated generallyby reference numeral I0. The .tractoriszequipped at oppositesides- With crawlertracks of any suit.-v able kind, here' designated at 12.-[2 andinounted for travelxaboutwheelsi l3.l4 carried at` front and rearfends of ltraclrframesr I5. The. tractor frame is supportedzfrom the trackiframesninthe.

usual or in any suitable manner.

Locatedfat vthe-front lfend of/theftractor, trans- Versely thereof, is the earth `scrapingand carrying scoopl designated in its entirety by 'numeral 2lb` This scoop cornprises'ra` bottomv 2i `inthe form-of a flat plate as seen in Figs.l 2, 5 and 6; a substantially upright ibackwall 22,' and oppo-y site-end walls '23 and'23 'which areupwardly and laterally inclined as best understood by reference to their showinginffr-igs 5`and 6.V The forward edge of the bottom 2l may be/bevele'd to a sharp-l enedcutting edge, as at22in Fig. 2, or it may be eduippedwithA an earthlcuttingblade, removably attached' thereto 'as in the usual scraper. Also, the forward facing edges of the side walls 23 of the scooprnay-be sharpened for easy cutting oli" of `earth lwhenlling the scoop from a bank or in making a cut; such sharpening being indicated at 25'in Figs. Zand 3.`

The scoop r20 faces directly forwardly, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, and itis rigidly mounted The mounting ofthese push `beams- 3 changeably used with a bulldozer, by removal of the bulldozer and applying the push b eams -25 of the present scoop to the bulldozer mountings as provided on the track frames.

At their forward ends, the push beams 26-28 have rigid attachment to the back wall of the scoop 20, as is well shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. These beams are secured to the back wall near the corresponding opposite ends of the scoop by welding or in other suitable manner, and rigidity of securement is further obtained byuse of web plates 29-30 extending along top and under sides of the beams and welded thereto and to the back plate of the scoop.

The means for controlling the working depth of the scoop as required for scraping up earth, and for elevating it for transporting a load, comprises the following parts:

Extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, and centrally across the scoop, is a gooseneck beam 35. This comprises a horizontally directed main portion x with a downwardly directed leg 35g at its forward end. Mounted at the lower end of this leg is a pair of supporting and steering wheels 35-36, mounted on opposite ends of a cross axle 3l. Fixed to the cross axle, between the paired wheels, is a vertical steering shaft 38 that is rotatable in bearings 39-39 incorporated in upper and lower end portions of the leg 35g. The shaft 38 extends above the gooseneck beam and is there equipped with a laterally directed steering lever arm 40, as seen in Fig. 3. Means for steering will be described later in connection with the hydraulic system.

The rear end of the beam 35 terminates just forwardly of the tractor, as seen in Fig. l, and it is adjustably suspended by means of a cable 42. The cable extends from the cable winding drum 44 of a winch 45 that is mounted on the front end of the tractor and operated by a power take-off from the tractor engine. Passing from the drum 44, the cable extends upwardly and over a cable guide sheave 46 suspended from the top end of an A-frame 41 that is fixed rigidly to the front end of the tractor frame. The end of the cable is attached to the beam as indicated at 48 in Fig. 1. By causing the winch mechanism to wind in or to pay out the cable 42, the rear end of the beam 35 may be raised or lowered accordingly, thus to control the working depth or elevation of the scoop as will now be explained.

Extending laterally from the beam 35 in opposite directions, over the forward end portion of the scoop, are arms 48-48. At their outer ends the arms have downwardly directed lugs 49-49 integral therewith. Extended horizontally and transversely of the beam 35 and through the lugs 49-49 is a pivot shaft 50, the opposite ends of which are pivotally contained in upstanding brackets lil-5| xed to the opposite end walls 23-23 of the scoops, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 6. Thus, through the mediacy of the crossshaft 50, and arms -48, the main weight of the scoop 20, and its load, will be supported from the beam 35. The beam, in turn is supported at its forward end by the set of steering wheels Bil- 36, and at its rear end is suspended by the cable 42 from the upper end of the A-frame that is xed to the front end of the tractor.

In order to retain a load of material in the scoop 20 while it is being loaded, or while being transported, I provide the scoop with an apron that is designated in its entirety by numeral 60. This comprises a forwardly and downwardly directed plate 6| that is hingedly suspended from the cross shaft 50 by means of hinge lugs 62-62 that are welded to its upper edge and through which the pivot shaft 50 extends. At its lower edge, the plate 6I has a back turned retainer flange 63 and along its side edges, has back turned flanges 64. This apron is adapted to close down against the forward edge of the scoop as seen in Fig. 1, or to be moved to raised position of Fig. 2. Also, it may -be positioned and held at any intermediate position by means which will presently be described in connection with the hydraulic system.

For the ejection of a load from the scoop, I provide an ejector plate l0 that is disposed in the bowl and may be retracted to a position against the back wall, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and advanced from that position, to a. forward position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. The movements of this ejector plate are controlled and effected by means of hydraulic jacks contained in the thrust beams 26-26 and controlled as hereinafter explained.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1. 2 and 3: It is to be observed that the push beams 26-26 are hollow. Contained in each beam, in its 1ongitudinal direction, and rigidly secured thereto is a hydraulic cylinder 15. Contained in these cylinders are pistons 'I5 from which rods l1 extend forwardly from the cylinder heads and through openings 18 in the back wall of the scoop and at their forward ends are rigidly secured to the ejector plate '|0, as shown in Fig. 2. By extending and retracting the piston rods, the plate 'I0 will be moved to and from load ejecting position.

For the control of the various operations, such as steering, scoop raising and lowering, apron raising and lowering and ejector plate operation, I provide a hydraulic system and parts shown in Fig. 4. This will now be explained.

To control the steering operation, I provide a. hydraulic jack comprising a cylinder 80, that is pivotally mounted at one end on beam 35 by bolt 8|, and has a piston rod 83 extended therefrom and pivotally connected at 84 to the outer end of the steering arm 40.

For the operation of the apron 60 I provide a. jack comprising a hydraulic cylinder 86 that is pivoted at its upper end, as at 81 between paired upstanding brackets 88-88 on beam 35. A piston rod 89 extends downwardly from the cylinder 86 and is pivotally connected at its lower end, as at 90, to a lug 9| on the apron plate 6|. It is shown in Fig. 3, that the jack cylinder 86 is freely contained within an opening 92 in the beam 35.

To furnish hydraulic medium to the various cylinders 'I5- 15, 80 and 86 for the operation of the hydraulic jacks, I provide a pressure system as shown in Fig. 4. This comprises an oil reserve tank 98 and connected with this tank is a pressure circuit comprising a pipe 99 that leads from the tank to the intake of a continuously driven pump |00; a pipe |0| that leads from the discharge side of the pump and a return pipe |02 that leads from pipe |0| to the tank 98 in which pipe |02 a pressure relief valve |03 is interposed.

First describing the control of the steering wheels: Pressure lines IUE-|05 extend from opposite ends of cylinder to a four way control valve |01. This valve has pipe connections |09 and H0, respectively, with the pressure line |0| and with the return line |02 as shown or direct to tank 98. Thus, by manipulation of the control lever of valve |01, pressure medium can be applied to either end of the jack cylinder B0, to actuate the lever 40 to change the steering direction of wheels 36-36. By setting the valve |01 at a neutral position, the wheels will be held at a set direction to which they have been adjusted.

For the control of the apron 60, pressure lines ||5| I6 extend from opposite ends of jack cylinder 86 to a four way control valve E20. This valve has connections l lil-I I9 with the pressure line |0| and tank 93. .By manipulation of valve |20, the apron can be lifted, lowered or held in any set position by setting `the valve at a neutral position.

For the ejector plate operation, I provide the following: The forward ends of the cylinders -15, are joined by a pipe line |25, and their rear ends are likewise joined by a pipe line |26. Pipes |21 and |28 lead from lines |25 and |26 respectively to a four way control valve |30. This valve has connections |3I and |32 with the pressure line |0| and with tank 98. By manipulation of the valve, the ejector plate can be extended, retracted or held at set position.

With the equipment so constructed, it is readily apparent that the scoop will be rigidly mounted by the push beams and can be controlled in its working operations by the driver or operator of the tractor. 'I'he lowering of the scoop for the scraping up of a load of dirt is accomplished by paying out the cable 42 from the drum 45. This lowers the rear end of beam 35 and effects a downward adjustment ofthe scoop to cause its forward edge to engage the ground and enter to a desired depth as regulated by the beam 35.

Filling of the scoop is accomplished while the apron 60 is in a lifted position, and the ejector plate retracted. When the scoop has been filled to a desired extent, it is lifted clear of the ground and the apron dropped to a closed position especially if the load is to be transported to any appreciable distance. Raising of the scoop is effected by winding in of the cable 42 on drum t5. The lowering of the apron is effected by an adjustment of control valve |20, that permits the delivery of pressure medium to the upper end of the jack cylinder 86.

During transportation of the load, steering can be easily effected by the steering of the wheels 36-36 as provided for through the manipulation of control valve |01. When the load is to be discharged, the apron is lifted to open position, as seen in dotted lines in Fig. 1 and the ejector plate advanced by the turning of the valve |30 to a position that causes the hydraulic pressure medium to be delivered into the rear ends of the jack cylinders 15-15. By a controlled advancement of the plate while the scoop is being advanced forwardly, the load can be spread over a surface and leveled at the same time by the scoop.

By reason of the forward edges of the side walls of the scoop being sharpened, these walls can be used for filling the bowl from a bank or side wall of a cut.

Having thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is:

1. A vehicle of the character described comprising in combination, a tractor, a forwardly opening scoop disposed forwardly of the tractor, push beams rigidly iixed to the scoop and extended rearwardly therefrom along opposite sides of the tractor and having pivotal connections with the tractor at their rear ends, a beam disposed across the scoop in the central longitudinal plane thereof and extended forwardly thereof, steerable ground wheels supporting said beam at its forward end; an adjustable means on the tractor supporting the beam at its rearward end and whereby it may be vertically adjusted at that end, and means on the beam, between its ends, supporting the scoop therefrom at a definite working elevation as established by the vertical adjustment of the rearward end of said beam and maintaining the alignment of the beam with the scoop and tractor.

2. A construction as recited in claim 1 wherein the scoop extends laterally beyond the sides of the tractor and the push beams are located within the lateral limits of the scoop.

3. A construction as recited in claim 1 wherein the scoop extends beyond the sides of the tractor and the push beams are located within the lateral limits of the scoop, and wherein the scoop has opposite end walls ydisposed in an upwardly and outwardly sloping position and sharpened along their forward edges.

4. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the said means on the beam supporting the scoop therefrom comprises arms extended laterally in opposite direction from the beam and rigid relative thereto, and said arms having transversely aligned pivotal connections at their outer ends with the corresponding ends of the scoop, and through which arms and pivotal connections the alignment of the beam with the scoop is maintained.

5. Apparatus as recited in claim 4 including also an apron that is pivotally suspended from the laterally directed arms to swing downwardly to close against the forward end of the scoop about a hinge axis that is aligned with the pivotal connections provided between the said arms and opposite ends of the scoop, and power means is mounted on the beam and connected with said apron to raise and lower it.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,253,745 Wold Aug. 26, 1941 2,263,028 Brownell Nov. 18, 1941 2,288,630 Le Tourneau July 7, 1942 2,305,481 Le Bleu Dec. 15, 1942 2,347,882 Choate et al May 2, 1944 2,353,120 Austin July 11, 1944 2,376,979 Patterson May 29, 1945 2,402,352 Taylor June 18, 1946 

